J&K more than a shooting locale; Bollywood must look beyond conflict [Opinion]

Quite a lot has been said and written about cinema and Kashmir. I think by now everyone of us, at least in India has a fair idea by virtue of these sayings and writings that Bollywood & Kashmir were 'inseparable'. Inseparable until the Pakistan-sponsored armed insurgency ravaged and looted Kashmir of its other half in 1989 – 90.

What prompts me to pop up today is actually a thought which has crossed my mind the other day whilst a chance meeting with someone from Mumbai and who happens to be a "good friend" with some of the reputed names of Bollywood. It was initially an exchange having emanated out of one of my tweets dating back to September the 27^th, 2021, the birth anniversary of Late Yash Chopra.

I had in that tweet of mine fondly remembered Yashji on his birth anniversary and kind of expressed my gratitude to him for showcasing Kashmir as the destination of love and romance during his illustrious career as producer and director. It would be ad rem to mention that Yashji had otherwise and rightfully earned the title of the 'King of Romance' by virtue of his soulful storylines and redefining 'love' with a new definition in each one of his films.

Kashmir's Bollywood connection

The light-hearted exchange then suddenly transcended into serious thought. The thought of why has Kashmir's other half (Bollywood) been off lately whirling around showcasing Kashmir as just a focal point of conflict, advertently and inadvertently I would love to believe? True, there is an ongoing conflict that we are reeling through, but that does not mean we are lifeless and we don't have a story of our own to tell the world.

From Yashji's last directorial venture, 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' (where Shahrukh was as an Army officer posted in Kashmir, busy defusing bombs) to Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Mission Kashmir' (where Sanjay Dutt was showcased as a dutiful cop, his adopted son Hrithik as a young man having strayed on the path of terror and therefore the clash of 'titans'), Kashmir has serendipitously and unfortunately reduced to be a focal point of conflict for the show-makers as well and this indeed is an ugly tribulation.

This kind of made me profoundly nostalgic about the plots like 'Jab Jab Phool Khile' (where we saw an affluent Mumbaikar, Rita (Nanda) coming to holiday in Kashmir and then falling in love with Raja (Shashi Kapoor), the house boat owner) & 'Aarzoo' (where Gopal (Rajendra Kumar) and Usha (Sadhna) fell in love while holidaying in Kashmir). I suddenly slipped into a deep thought process asking my own self, 'O my God, are we lifeless minions moving around in a conflict theatre? Do we not have any indigenous stories, inspirations or a capacity to generate a fiction on our day-to-day lives?'

I think at this point I will have to fervently make a clarion call to my fellow countrymen in the showbusiness as a Kashmiri and underscore with them this dire need to shift the spotlight from showcasing Kashmir as just a focal point of conflict in the storylines to the other beautiful aspects of the lives of these beautiful people (Kashmiri's) of this beautiful country (India).

J&K: Beyond a shooting locale

While I cannot thank Hon'ble LG of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha enough for painstakingly having drafted a holistic film policy for the UT, there is I think something more which can be done to take this a step ahead.

I think it is about time that we graduate from being just a shooting locale to a satellite off-shoot of the film industry and this I think would be possible by making an effort to have a multi-layered film city established in both, Jammu & Kashmir. An address for the producers and directors of films and TV serials to look up to, be it for pre or post-production errands of a film/serial, pressers, dance rehearsals, dubbing, et al. Not only would this churn out a substantial amount of employment for the youth, it would also eventually offer an 'outlet' for the creative youth to showcase their talent in acting and other aspects of film making. No attempt would be as great as this in uniting the separated 'inseparables', forever and ever, for them to live together happily ever after.

The author, Dr. Suneem Khan, is a medical doctor based out of Kashmir. Views expressed are author's own and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website or its affiliates.